April M, 18fi6. ] 



JOUBNAL OP HORTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



319'' 



heat. Repot and propagate Begonias. This is one of the most 

 useful families of plants that can be grown. Orchids are now 

 progressing fast, and will require attention iu shading daily 

 and gradually increasing the humidity of the house, so as to 

 keep pace with the increase of solar light and heat. If the 

 roof is covered wi'.h creepers, a Uttle management in training 

 them is required to effect a judicious shading of the plants be- 

 neath. See that plants on blocks or suspended iu baskets are 

 not allowed to get dry, which would have the effect of causing 

 a check to the young growth, which should be encouraged as 

 long as possible to obtain strong, healthy plants. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHES GARDEN. 



Put in the main crop of Carrots in good order. Planted a 

 lot more Potatoes to succeed the earliest out of doors. Sowed 

 just a little Beet for early supply, as May is soon enough for 

 the main crops, small clean roots being more in demand than 

 large ones like Mangolds. Planted out Cauliflowers ; watered 

 and earthed those under glasses. Sowed the main crops of 

 Borecole, Brussels Sprouts, Savoys, and pinches of Broccoli 

 and Cauliflower, reserving the main sowing of Broccoli till a 

 little later ; these were branched and netted. Sowed also Tur- 

 nips and Radishes, and secured by netting, generally sowing 

 the two together— the Turnips 2 feet apart, and the Radishes 

 between them, for the latter will be all gone before the Turnips 

 occupy the ground. Gave plenty of air to Turnips, Radishes, 

 Carrots, Potatoes, Lettuces, &c., imder protection. Sowed 

 Lettuces in the open ground, and transplanted those raised 

 under protection. Have had more bolted Cabbages this season 

 than we ever had, though the seed was sown in August — a cir- 

 cumstance partly attributable to the mild winter and the sharp 

 frosts of spring, and partly to the hearts having been nipped 

 by pheasants. Sowed plenty of garden Beans and Peas in 

 semicircular drain tiles under protection, the yoimg plants to 

 be planted out and staked when several inches in height, for 

 not a Pea, and scarcely a Bean, have we left, except those 

 which were planted out, as the whole from three sowings have 

 been cleared off by pheasants, though we thought we had 

 beaten them by branches, strings, and ground being all smeared 

 with tar. It did keep them off for a few days, imtil they 

 became so determined that they did not care about tar on their 

 feathers. We find that nothing will keep them off except 

 small netting, either wire or string, so that they cannot put 

 their heads in. We were in hopes that the tarring alluded to 

 last week would have kept them at bay. We could not with 

 propriety withhold this statement as to its inefficiency. 



Turning from such outside annoyances, it is pleasing to 

 obtain such gatherings of Sea-kale, Kidney Beans, Potatoes, 

 and to see Peas coming on so nicely in the orchard-house. 

 These orchard-houses are very valuable even for the produc- 

 tion of early Peas, Lettuces, itc, with little trouble in spring. 

 We thought we might venture seed of Kidney Beans out of 

 doors, but a few sown have also been torn up ; and we must 

 BOW them, too, in small pots, and then transplant. The next 

 Peas we venture out of doors we shall stick as soon as sown, 

 placing the stakes at least a foot from the row, running a tarred 

 string on each side along the rows of stakes ; and then the 

 space between the latter we will stick with brushwood, and 

 that may keep the pheasant's bill at a distance. Planting out 

 when from i to more inches iu height and staking at once is 

 the safest method, except wire guards, or using string nets 

 with small meshes, so that the gardener shall not be blamed 

 for hanging the favourites. 



FRCIT G.4RDEN'. 



Went on disbudding or dis-shooting the trees in orchard- 

 house, in which the fruit is set so thickly, that one in a dozen, 

 or twenty or thirty in some eases, will be enough to leave. 

 Proceeded in dull days, and night and morning, with thinning 

 Grapes, and attending to other work much as stated in previous 

 weeks. We ought to have mentioned above, that though the 

 tar has not quite kept off the pheasants, we have as yet been 

 no more troubled with vermin in the Cucumber-beds, and that 

 we have not perceived one single fresh mole-run on the pre- 

 mises since we dropped a little tar in the runs about three 

 weeks ago. 



0RN.i5£ENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



Here we have not been able to overtake the half of our work. 

 Turfing, much needing to be done, we have been obliged to 

 defer till we have a showery day. Lawns have been well rolled 



preparatory to mowing, as the grass is now growing vigorously, 

 and one of the least seen but most expensive things about a gar- 

 den, will be wanting continual attention. In the general routine 

 of gardens, a large lawn is constantly demanding attention 

 from other departments where labour would be more profitably 

 employed. A vast number of proprietors fail to perceive that 

 it is better in every way to keep a rood, or an acre, in first- 

 rate order, than ten roods, or ten acres, that always need at- 

 tention, and never receive so much as ought to be given. Of 

 course, we are well aware of the grandeur derived from a large 

 lawn of tens of acres ; all we contend for is, that there is any- 

 thing but grandeur in attempting to keep up a number of acres, 

 as is often done, with the labour power tit only for a small 

 proportion of these acres. With all our advantages from 

 mowing-machines, Daisy-knives, &c., it is generally best in 

 particular lawns to run the scythe over them the first time. 



Many herbaceous plants may still be divided, and such plants 

 as Daisies, Primroses, and I'olyanthus may still be divided 

 in shady places, especially as they do all the better for trans- 

 planting every year. Polyanthuses are now obtained very fair 

 from our seedsmen, and at one time we used to grow a great 

 many of these border flowers ; but since we have had so many 

 birds about it is of little or no use, unless they were all se- 

 curely netted, as the birds were sure to pick all the flowers as 

 soon as they expanded, or even before they opened. The little 

 honey at the bottom of the cups might be an inducement, in 

 addition to the love of mischief. We have seen a good-sized 

 basketful of flowers cut over in a forenoon. 



The borders are now in good trim for sowing all the hardy 

 annuals. Where beds are made of them they will come more 

 regularly now than when sown earlier, and they will want but 

 little looking after. Uuless where beds are made, or lines of 

 colour are desired, there is no better plan than scratching a 

 circle with a stout stick in the old-fashioned way, sowing 

 thinly in the rut, covering according to the size of the seed, 

 and thinning the seedlings after they are large enough to be 



handled. . , 



Half-hardii Aimuah we often Sow at this season in an earth 

 pot, p'ricking-in some rotten dung on the surface, levelling it, 

 and then placing some nice fresh soil on the surface. We then 

 sow, cover with fine soil, patting down, and place under move- 

 able sashes, kept close until the seedhngs appear. Asters 

 Stocks, Marigolds, Zinnias, Indian Pmks, &c., do very well 

 thus treated, without a hotbed of any kind, and being m the 

 groimd can look after themselves better than if sown m pots. 

 Everything in a pot requires watering, and is subject to much 

 gi-eater changes than if the plants had been iu the ground. 



Primula sinensis, Cineraria, etc., should now be soNvn for 

 winter-blooming. The best plan is to use well-drained pots or 

 pans, and Ught sandy soil, with a little fine leaf mould or peat ; 

 press the surface level, sow the seeds regularly, cover slightly 

 with sand or very sandy soil, press again, cover with glass and 

 a piece of paper over it, water in three or four days, and keep 

 rather moist and close until the seedlings appear, and then give 

 more Ught and air. Good plants of Primulas now done flower- 

 ing may be divided or reduced, fresh-potted, and grown on 

 a-aiu, and will make fine plants if first potted m small pots, 

 aud larger ones given as needed. These will bloom before the 

 seedlings, and come in late in autumn. Good kinds of Cine- 

 rarias having nearly finished blooming may be cut down and 

 planted in a shady place, where they will produce nice sucker 

 offshoots, each of which when potted may be grown to be a 

 large plant. Early herbaceous Calceolarias may be treated m 

 a similar manner ; and every shoot taken off towards autumn 

 with incipient roots, will make a better plant grown on and 

 shifted from pot to pot than could be obtained by any doctor- 

 a or treating of an old plant that had once flowered, t-'"' 



This 



is "the secret for keeping on favourite kinds of the herbaceous 

 section true. One healthy shoot in August may be a plant half 



a yard across in April and May. 



Made up a temporary protection between two pits, and there 

 removed quantities of Scarlet Geraniums, &c., in boxes, which 

 we have not been able as yet to plant out temporarily or pot, 

 but to some of which we will do so as soon as we can. ue 

 wanted all these cleared out of vineries, &c., as, though we 

 have kept them back by a cool temperature, the heat the \ines 

 will now require will be too much for tho Geraniums, and if 

 continued longer would make them tender. Besides we want 

 room to go about the Vines to rub off extra shoots, and room on 

 the cround for Fuchsias, Camellias done blooming, &c. 



Commenced moving Calceolarias from striking-pit, and turn- 

 ing them out into earth-pits, where they will have a mouth or 



